Immediate Obedience" Jahcy Asomani and Anthony Thompson, Matthew 4:18-22

Devotional

Day 1: Leaving Nets in the Shallows

When Jesus called fishermen to become fishers of men, they abandoned their livelihoods mid-task. Nets lay half-mended, boats drifted unattended. Obedience meant releasing what defined their identity and security. Like Peter and Andrew, we’re called to drop our “nets” – the routines, comforts, or distractions that keep us from responding fully. Immediate obedience often looks like unfinished business, trusting that what we leave behind matters less than who we follow. [38:20]

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
(Matthew 4:20,22 ESV)

Reflection: What “nets” are you still holding – responsibilities, fears, or habits – that delay your full response to Christ’s call? Name one tangible thing you can release today.

Day 2: Mending Nets for a Different Catch

James and John weren’t just fishing – they were repairing torn nets when Jesus called them. God repurposes our mundane skills for holy work. The patience to mend frayed relationships, the diligence to restore broken systems, the care to heal wounded hearts – these ordinary acts become sacred when surrendered. Obedience starts where we are, using what we already hold in our hands. [38:50]

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

Reflection: What practical skill or daily task in your life could God transform into ministry if offered to Him without delay?

Day 3: Dishes Now, Blessings Later

Obedience thrives in immediacy – not when the timing’s perfect, but when the Spirit nudges. Like a mother’s instruction to wash dishes today, God’s calls often interrupt our plans. Delayed obedience becomes disobedience when we prioritize convenience over conviction. Every “yes” to small promptings trains us for larger surrenders. [40:13]

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
(James 1:22 ESV)

Reflection: What specific prompting have you been rationalizing as “later’s problem”? How might acting on it today reshape your spiritual trajectory?

Day 4: Scouted, Not Self-Made

Jesus didn’t recruit polished theologians – He chose workers mid-task. God still scouts ordinary people repairing nets, changing diapers, or clocking into jobs. Your current location isn’t an obstacle to calling; it’s the staging ground. The disciples’ qualifications came through following, not beforehand. [37:32]

“Brothers, consider your calling: not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. But God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.”
(1 Corinthians 1:26-27 ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel most “ordinary” right now? How might God be using that very space to prepare you for unexpected purpose?

Day 5: Love as the Loudest Obedience

Immediate obedience ultimately wears love’s face – hands serving neighbors, feet walking toward the hurting, ears listening without agenda. When Jesus reduced all commandments to loving God and others, He revealed obedience as relational, not ritualistic. Every small act of love is a net left behind, a boat abandoned, a yes to the call. [42:45]

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35 ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle needs love expressed through action today – not grand gestures, but the immediacy of presence or practical care?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 4 places Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, looking at regular people doing regular work. Jesus sees Simon Peter and Andrew casting nets because they are fishermen, and his call is plain: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The text does not show a long debate, a delay, or a list of excuses. Peter and Andrew immediately leave their nets and follow him.

Immediate obedience stands against spiritual disobedience. Disobedience can look like delaying what God says, making excuses instead of taking action, or choosing convenience over Christ. Jonah runs from Nineveh, Saul keeps what God told him to destroy, and Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. Those stories show that disobedience is not always open rebellion with loud words. Sometimes disobedience is simply doing God’s command later, halfway, or in a way that feels easier.

Jesus calls ordinary people. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are not presented as religious elites. They are fishermen with jobs, families, and daily concerns. David was a shepherd before God made him king, and people saw him as weak and unworthy before Goliath. God does not call perfect people. God calls willing people, and he qualifies the people he calls through their obedience.

James and John are mending their nets when Jesus calls them. That picture matters because their work is about repairing and restoring what catches fish. Jesus sees those ordinary skills and, like somebody recruiting for a team, says those skills can be used for something bigger. The hands that mended nets can now help gather people toward salvation, healing, and restoration in Christ.

Obedience requires immediate action. A parent who says, “wash the dishes,” expects it now, not next week. In the same way, God’s call is not meant to be squeezed in after every convenience has been protected. Following Jesus requires surrender because the disciples leave boats, jobs, security, and even family ties to follow him.

Jesus is not physically walking beside the Sea of Galilee today, but his command is already clear. Matthew 22 gives the way forward: love God with all the heart, soul, and mind, and love the neighbor as oneself. John 13 says that love is how disciples are known. Obedience is not about perfection or attention or earning salvation. Immediate obedience is choosing to love God and love people the moment God puts the opportunity in front of someone.

Key Takeaways

1. Delay is still disobedience Disobedience does not always look dramatic. Delay can become a spiritual disguise for refusal, especially when convenience gets treated like wisdom. Jonah, Saul, and Moses show that God’s word can be resisted by running, editing, or handling it one’s own way. [36:09]
2. God calls ordinary willing people Jesus calls fishermen while they are doing normal work, not while they are proving religious greatness. David’s story gives the same reminder, because God sees beyond weakness, youth, and human opinion. The issue is not perfection, but a heart willing to move when God calls. [37:32]
3. Surrender gives skills holy purpose James and John are mending nets, and Jesus redirects that same restoring skill toward people. God does not waste ordinary abilities, work experience, or daily faithfulness. Surrender does not erase a person’s skills, it places them on Christ’s team for the healing and gathering of others. [38:20]
4. Love makes disciples visible Jesus makes love the identifying mark of his disciples. Obedience can be as simple and costly as encouraging, helping, serving, or honoring the person nearby. Love becomes visible faith, not as a performance for attention, but as a response to Christ’s command. [41:35]
5. Willing hearts matter more than perfection Romans says all have sinned and fallen short, so obedience cannot be rooted in pretending to be flawless. God is looking for hearts that say yes, even while still needing grace. A willing person can obey today by loving God and loving others without waiting to feel fully qualified. [43:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:10] - Gratitude And Opening Context
[34:47] - Matthew 4: Jesus Calls Fishermen
[35:26] - Prayer For Open Hearts
[36:09] - Immediate Obedience And Disobedience
[36:30] - Jonah, Saul, And Moses
[36:53] - Jesus Calls Ordinary People
[38:20] - Jesus Recruits Net Menders
[39:48] - Obedience Means Action Now
[40:43] - Surrendering Security To Follow
[41:35] - Love As Christ’s Commandment
[43:07] - Willing Hearts, Not Perfect People
[44:11] - Questions For Immediate Obedience
[44:57] - Invitation And Closing Thanks

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 4:18-22
“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” [34:47]

Matthew 22:37-39
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” [41:35]

John 13:35
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [42:05]

Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” [43:34]

Observation questions

In Matthew 4, what are Peter and Andrew doing when Jesus calls them, and what are James and John doing when Jesus calls them? [38:39]
What word is repeated in Matthew 4 to describe how the disciples responded to Jesus’ call, and what did they leave behind? [39:48]
What are some specific ways spiritual disobedience can show up, even when it does not look dramatic? [36:22]
According to John 13:35, what is the visible sign that identifies Jesus’ disciples to other people? [42:05]

Interpretation questions

Matthew 4 shows ordinary fishermen being called while they are in the middle of daily work. What does that suggest about the kind of people Jesus calls and the kind of readiness he looks for? [37:24]
Jonah, Saul, and Moses each did something other than exactly what God said. Why is partial obedience, delayed obedience, or edited obedience still serious before God? [36:53]
James and John were mending nets before Jesus called them. How might that image help explain the way Christ uses ordinary skills for the healing, gathering, and restoration of people? [39:08]
If Romans 3:23 says all have sinned, how does that shape the way obedience should be understood? Why is willingness so important if perfection is not the goal? [43:34]

Application questions

Where has delay become a form of disobedience lately? Is there a conversation, act of service, step of repentance, or act of love that has been put off even though the way forward is already clear? [44:23]
Following Jesus involves surrender. What feels hardest to loosen grip on right now—comfort, schedule, reputation, money, a plan, or a sense of control? How might that be affecting obedience? [40:34]
Immediate obedience appears as love. Who has God placed nearby this week that needs encouragement, help, forgiveness, or simple kindness? What might loving that person actually look like in a concrete way? [42:50]
God calls ordinary people and uses ordinary skills. What is one ability, habit, or strength already present in life that could be used more intentionally for Christ and for others? [44:41]
Many people do not need more information as much as they need a willing heart. In what area has there been a tendency to wait until feeling more ready, more spiritual, or more qualified before obeying? [41:51]
Jesus says disciples are recognized by love. If the people closest at home, work, school, or church answered honestly, what signs of love would they say are visible right now, and what might need to grow? [42:05]
Obedience is not about earning salvation or looking impressive. How can someone love God and love neighbor this week in a way that is sincere, quiet, and free from the need for attention? [44:11]

Sermon Clips

37s

“``In Matthew four, the disciples followed Jesus immediately. Today, we could follow Jesus immediately by following his commandment, loving people, loving God, not for attention or to earn salvation because he commanded us so. When you leave here today, I want you to ask yourselves, where is God calling you to be obedient? Who has God placed in your path to help? What opportunities have you been delaying? Immediate obedience is choosing to love God and to love others the moment God presents us with the opportunity.”

46s

“One thing we have to understand is that Jesus called ordinary people. The disciples, James, John, and Andrew, and Peter, they were ordinary people like me and you with ordinary problems that face daily problems. David was a shepherd before God called him to become a king. David also faced his own set of problems before being called by God. Before becoming a king, David was viewed as a weak and unworthy boy. No one thought that he could ever feed the face of Goliath. Even if you yourself feels unworthy, remember that God doesn't cause us to be perfect, but he calls us to be willing.”

38s

“Obedience requires immediate action. Now I don't know about y'all, but when my mom tells me to wash the dishes, she expects me to do it now, today. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. You know? And it's the same thing with God. Sometimes we could be so clouded with the world and our daily lives. You could be so distracted that we don't even hear God's voice, but God is calling us just like how my mom is telling me do the dishes. He's like, hey, I need you to do this. I need you to follow me.”

49s

“Following Jesus requires surrender. The disciples left their boats, their jobs, and their security to follow Jesus. Now, that's a hard thing to do. I don't think any of us will wanna leave our jobs, you know, where we're getting paid, we gotta take care of our families, our friends, you know, but they surrendered something to meet God for their blessing. And at the end of the day, God took their skills and they were able to use that to help others and to bring people closer to Christ. In that same way, we must surrender our own will and our own convenience in order to be obedient to what God has already instructed us to do. Amen. Alright. Now,”

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